And not necessarily on point but tangentially related and I love the pic...
I reached out to Lee some time ago on it and never received a reply. Maybe someone else will have better luck.
Todd Z.
after talking to Lee Holman today I believe both of my Broncos have HM therefore Stroope history as HM bought Stroope out in 1965..Both are local trucks and HM was the one that did the dealer installed items in the area from what I am told..
I see your edited post - yes, Stroppe needed financial help and Ford suggested HM team up with them early on. I believe HM left in or around late 68 or maybe early 69, just before Stroppe and his team began to win races in the desert, which lasted through to the mid 70s.
I've seen both the Hunter Bronco in detailed pictures, have known it existed since '95, and have a copy of the Marti report for this bronco. It lists it as a test vehicle under order type and states a Ford corporate address in MI. It has a Stroppe steering wheel and rollbar in it. Other than that it has no Stroppe or even Holman Moody parts on it, besides the tag.
I've owned 2 factory Stroppe racing Broncos, currently own one, and have hunted down the other existing Stroppe racing Broncos and none have an H-M tag. They do have number tags, but they are nothing similar to the tag on the "Bronco Hunter". Plus they are loaded with fabricated parts, and racing equipment. I've also turned up a few "pre-runner" and chase Broncos and trucks from the day and they were much more than a stock Bronco with 2-3 bolt on pieces. When I say a few, I've owned over 40 Baja Broncos by Stroppe, 2 Stroppe independent race pickups, 2 Stroppe team Broncos, 1 independent Bronco racer modified by Stroppe, and have personally inspected 5 of the Stroppe team racing Broncos, 3 of which are Holman Moody/Stroppe era (67-69). And I currently race a former Stroppe support Bronco in the NORRA races.
I'm not saying there is no story or history behind the "Bronco Hunter". It's certainly interesting, and I will be curious to see what is turned up now that it's in the hands its in. But as far as it being a holy grail of Broncos, I dont know if I'd agree with that.
I see your edited post - yes, Stroppe needed financial help and Ford suggested HM team up with them early on. I believe HM left in or around late 68 or maybe early 69, just before Stroppe and his team began to win races in the desert, which lasted through to the mid 70s.
I've seen both the Hunter Bronco in detailed pictures, have known it existed since '95, and have a copy of the Marti report for this bronco. It lists it as a test vehicle under order type and states a Ford corporate address in MI. It has a Stroppe steering wheel and rollbar in it. Other than that it has no Stroppe or even Holman Moody parts on it, besides the tag.
I've owned 2 factory Stroppe racing Broncos, currently own one, and have hunted down the other existing Stroppe racing Broncos and none have an H-M tag. They do have number tags, but they are nothing similar to the tag on the "Bronco Hunter". Plus they are loaded with fabricated parts, and racing equipment. I've also turned up a few "pre-runner" and chase Broncos and trucks from the day and they were much more than a stock Bronco with 2-3 bolt on pieces. When I say a few, I've owned over 40 Baja Broncos by Stroppe, 2 Stroppe independent race pickups, 2 Stroppe team Broncos, 1 independent Bronco racer modified by Stroppe, and have personally inspected 5 of the Stroppe team racing Broncos, 3 of which are Holman Moody/Stroppe era (67-69). And I currently race a former Stroppe support Bronco in the NORRA races.
I'm not saying there is no story or history behind the "Bronco Hunter". It's certainly interesting, and I will be curious to see what is turned up now that it's in the hands its in. But as far as it being a holy grail of Broncos, I dont know if I'd agree with that.